Anthony Blinken

On the second day of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Washington, a senior official in the administration of US President Joe Biden announced on Friday that the United States and China are preparing to arrange a meeting between the presidents of the two countries. Washington and Beijing are trying to reduce tensions between them on the one hand, and on the other hand, the two countries are searching for areas in which they can cooperate and where interests converge, away from their traditional competition.

Published on: 10/28/2023 – 02:32

3 minutes

In light of diplomatic efforts to reduce the severity Tensions between the two countriesOn Friday, a senior US administration official revealed that the United States and China are working to arrange a meeting between the presidents of the two countries. The world’s two largest economies are engaged in intense competition on a number of fronts, but Washington and Beijing are simultaneously seeking cooperation in areas where the interests of the two countries converge. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is on a three-day visit to the United States.

The announcement of the arrangement for a possible meeting between Biden and Xi Jinping came hours after a meeting between the US President and the Chinese Foreign Minister in Washington, DC.

Senior officials in the US administration, who briefed reporters by phone, did not mention any details regarding whether the Biden-Xi meeting would actually take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit scheduled for next month in the American city of San Francisco.

Wang, the first Chinese foreign minister to visit Washington since 2018, previously met with Biden, his American counterpart Anthony Blinken, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan during his visit, which began Thursday and ends Saturday.

Biden had invited Xi to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, but despite this, he continued his firm approach towards Beijing by imposing sanctions on it and supporting his allies in their disputes with it.

The White House said in a statement this week that Wang Yi will discuss with Biden’s national security adviser “ongoing efforts to responsibly manage the relationship” between the two countries.

The two men previously met in Malta in September and in Vienna in May, amid efforts being made to calm tensions between the two superpowers.

John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council, said Thursday, “Sullivan looks forward to this discussion with Wang Yi (…) to keep the lines of communication open with the People’s Republic of China.”

He added to reporters, “It will also be an opportunity to explore ways to try to open a channel of communication that is still closed between the armies of the two countries.”

Blinken received his counterpart Wang in Washington on Thursday, saying he wanted “stability of US-China relations” after years of tension.

Communications between the Chinese and American presidents have been cut off since their meeting in Bali in November 2022.

The world’s two largest economies are vying for influence in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, while Beijing is strengthening its cooperation with Russia in an attempt to limit US dominance.

Tensions between them have recently escalated over Taiwan and also the Philippines, and the United States and China have exchanged harsh criticism regarding the conflict in the Middle East.

France 24/AFP/Reuters

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2023-10-28 00:32:52